After entering the ninth level of the Yuan Realm, Jiang Chen drew ever closer to his goal of the Inheritance Tower.
Over the past two months, Jiang Chen had been studying the third array. As soon as he broke through this third array, he would be able to face the Inheritance Tower head-on.
This third array was called the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Array.
There were three major arrays guarding the path to the Inheritance Tower. The first, the Minor Formless Array, was an illusion array; the second, the Ancient Seven Kill Array, was a killing array; and this third one, the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Array, was a death array.
A death array did not mean one left unattended and inert — it meant an array of nine deaths and one life.
Once you entered this array, if you could not find the single path of survival, you would be trapped inside forever, locked away until you withered and died of old age.
The array was called the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Array for good reason. Stepping into it was like falling into a profound dream. By the time you woke in a daze, countless springs and autumns would have passed, and you would already be decrepit and aged.
In the ancient era, the Danxiao Ancient Sect had used this array to trap and kill uncountable numbers of mighty figures from antiquity.
Of course, the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Array before the Inheritance Tower was clearly not at its peak. Its level was calibrated for the inheritors of the Danxiao Ancient Sect — roughly aimed at geniuses of the Saint Realm.
Although Jiang Chen had not truly entered the Saint Realm, he was confident that his current aptitude was in no way inferior to any Earth Saint-level genius, and he even held certain advantages over some Heaven Saint-level prodigies.
Standing outside the array, Jiang Chen took a deep breath and resolutely leapt into its depths.
The moment he landed inside, the scenery before his eyes transformed instantly.
Ten colossal pillars that pierced the heavens stood before him, towering into the clouds, connecting earth to sky. Every pillar was carved densely with ancient runes and inscriptions.
Above each pillar hovered a layer of pale golden luminescence, lending them an exceedingly ancient aura.
Jiang Chen activated his Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil and studied each pillar in turn.
The runes on every pillar were different.
"Hm? These are actually cultivation techniques?" A flicker of surprise passed through Jiang Chen's mind.
Each pillar bore a single cultivation technique inscribed upon it, and every one was of a remarkably high level.
The ten pillars formed a perfect ring, with Jiang Chen standing at its center.
Between the ten pillars, there were exactly ten passageways.
"So these ten pillars must represent the nine-death-one-life paths of the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Array. If that's the case, only one of these ten paths leads out? The other nine are all dead ends?"
For the moment, Jiang Chen did not act rashly.
He believed that since this was a trial, the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Array would surely offer some hints. It would not be like facing an enemy, with absolutely no clues given.
The purpose of this array was not to kill but to test whoever came here.
Therefore, Jiang Chen was certain the array contained clues. The question was whether his eye was sharp enough to spot them.
Thinking this, he grew calm instead.
He sat cross-legged and opened his Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil to its fullest, examining each pillar one by one.
At first glance, the cultivation techniques on these pillars each had their own characteristics. On the surface, their levels appeared roughly similar, and it was hard to discern any meaningful differences.
"If this array offers hints, they must be hidden in these techniques. But where exactly is the catch?" Jiang Chen was in no hurry. He studied them once more, carefully and methodically.
Since visual inspection alone revealed nothing, Jiang Chen decided to test each technique one by one.
One month later…
Jiang Chen's divine sense suddenly shuddered, as though a needle had pricked faintly into his consciousness. He knew it was no external intrusion — it was an instinctive resistance rising from within his own divine sense.
"What's going on?"
Jiang Chen jolted awake, cold sweat beading on his forehead. After a brief moment of recollection, his expression shifted further.
"Terrifying. Terrifying. Without even realizing it, I had already fallen into a trance. These cultivation techniques actually carried a seductive pull that drew one into obsession. Fortunately, my divine sense produced a thread of instinctive resistance. Had I truly continued deepening my practice and become completely consumed, oblivious to the passing of springs and autumns, it would have been just like a great dream — and by the time I awoke, I would have been old and decrepit."
Jiang Chen's eyes widened in sudden understanding. These techniques were nothing but mirages — enticing reflections on the water's surface. Though incredibly alluring, they would never produce any real result. Beyond dragging one into obsession, they held not a shred of substance.
Even if one practiced them for a hundred years, it would amount to nothing more than a pleasant dream. Upon waking, aside from an aged body and stagnant cultivation, one would have gained nothing at all.
The thought sent another chill of cold sweat down Jiang Chen's back.
He had been careful — testing each technique one by one, hoping to uncover some hidden clue — and yet he had still nearly been consumed.
If not for his cultivation of the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance, which granted him an exceptionally powerful divine sense and that crucial thread of instinctive resistance, he would have been swallowed up with no hope of waking.
By the time he regained awareness, it might have been three or five hundred years later. His strength would have advanced not a single step, still stuck within the Yuan Realm.
At that age, having missed the prime window for cultivation, any further improvement in power would be impossible. He would simply waste away until his lifespan ran dry.
He silently cursed his near-miss and immediately summoned the Gold-Munching Mouse King. "Old Gold, keep watch for me. If my divine sense hasn't awakened within three days, wake me up."